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Barcelona started their La Liga title defence in less than ideal circumstances, as they fell to a 1-0 defeat away at the San Mames to Athletic Bilbao on matchday one. To worsen their situation, both Luis Suarez (calf) and Ousmane Dembele (hamstring) both suffered injury problems in the fixture.
The duo joins club captain Lionel Messi on the injury list. The skipper's calf injury that he suffered during pre-season got worse as he is expected to miss up to 4 weeks. None of the attackers are expected back for the next one month, at least.
As a result of this, Ernesto Valverde would not have the services of some of his most important players in crunch fixtures. While it might not be the most consummate setting for the 56-year-old, it is not exactly a doomsday scenario either.
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Barcelona still have some quality players (albeit on a lower level) who can help cushion the effect of the loss of these marquee attackers, and the injury setback could actually turn out to be beneficial for these players.
In this piece, we shall highlight four players who would likely benefit the most from the injuries sustained by Messi, Suarez, and Dembele.
#4 Alex Collado
Alex Collado is a 20-year-old attacking midfielder whose versatility also sees him deployed as a winger on occasion.
The Spanish Under-21 international was born in the city of Sabadell in Catalunya (same birthplace as Sergio Busquets) and spent three years on the books of Espanyol before joining Barcelona in 2009.
Since then, it has been an upward trajectory for him, and he made his competitive debut for the senior side in a 2-0 LaLiga defeat to Celta Vigo in May 2019.
Collado is highly regarded at Barcelona, and he was one of a number of La Masia youngsters who made an impression during pre-season, making three appearances for the Blaugrana in their warm-up for the campaign.
So far, he has continued with his development in the Segunda Division with Barcelona B, but the injury crisis in attack for the first team could see him gracing the same field as Griezmann and co.
#3 Ansu Fati
Ansu Fati had been destined for greatness from an early age, and having spurned both Real Madrid and Sevilla (who offered him more money) during his formative years to join Barcelona, Ansu Fati is on the verge of living the dream.
He has absolutely wowed everyone with his performances for the Barcelona youth sides and scored 59 goals from just 29 matches for Barcelona's Juvenil A side to finish as the league's top scorer.
Fati is widely regarded as the hottest prospect in the highly-rated La Masia, and he saw his promotion to the first team (he is yet to represent Barcelona B) fast-tracked as a result of the injuries suffered in attack.
He was 16 years, 11 months and five days when he stepped onto the field to replace the aforementioned Carles Perez with 12 minutes remaining, making him the second-youngest player to represent Barca in La Liga history.
Expectedly, he trended worldwide, with many including none other than Lionel Messi impressed with his performance, and with Messi, Suarez and Dembele still out with injuries, Fati could yet get more opportunities to create more records.
#2 Carles Perez
Like Collado, Perez arrived Barcelona after previously spending time on the books of the Espanyol academy, and the 21-year-old has grown from strength to strength at La Masia.
Primarily a winger, Perez can be deployed anywhere across the front three, and sent a statement of his intent during pre-season, scoring two goals in the game against Vissel Kobe to make an impression on Ernesto Valverde.
His performance certainly sent a message, as the former Spain Under-17 international has played in each of Barcelona's two La Liga campaigns till date.
Having started the 1-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao on the bench, Perez was started from the get-go against Real Betis and he rewarded Ernesto Valverde's faith with a well-taken goal in the 56th minute.
That goal marked his first strike for the senior side. And, with Perez set to benefit more playing time due to the injuries sustained by the regular attackers, he could yet get more opportunities to score more goals for his childhood club.
#1 Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann was Barcelona's marquee arrival this summer and came into Camp Nou with a reputation as one of the best players in the world owing to his immense personal achievements while playing for Atletico Madrid.
However, despite his status, the French international is only third choice at best when Valverde has the full selection of his attackers to choose from. This is a less than ideal scenario for Griezmann to be in considering his higher standing with the national team and that under Diego Simeone.
His position is hardly helped by the fact that Barcelona fans have hardly warmed up to him after he turned their advances down last year.
With Messi and Suarez around, Antoine Griezmann would most likely be deployed out wide on the left of attack which is a less than ideal position for him.
However, the absence of the duo has given him the opportunity to start more centrally, which was where he played against Real Betis. The 28-year-old was unplayable at times, capping his home debut off with a brace and assist.
This improved responsibility of leading the line would give Griezmann the freedom to truly show what he is capable of, which would not have been the case had all of Barcelona's attackers been available.
